What the Bible Says About Your Life, Family, Priorities & Problems

“Assurance of Guidance” February 29

Are you ever tempted to worry when you’re faced with a decision? How do you know which is the right choice? Wouldn’t it be nice if life came with a GPS system! Could it be you need a better understanding of our assurance of guidance as believers in Jesus Christ?

Happy Leap Year & Good Morning!

There is no reading on my plan for today so I thought I would just say “Good Morning” and share something I heard yesterday.

As some of you know, my husband and I head up the Biblical Counseling Ministry at our church. We are blessed to have another full time counselor on staff and 16 or 17 volunteers who each take 1-4 cases a week.

Yesterday afternoon, we met as a group for some “iron sharpening iron” (Prov. 27.17). One of our volunteers shared several key promises or assurances she teaches counselees to help them learn to trust God more.

One was the assurance of eternal security (Jn. 10.28). Another was the assurance of answered prayer (Jn. 14.13-14). Yet another was the assurance of forgiveness (1 Jn. 1.9).

But the one I woke up thinking about this morning was the assurance of guidance.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He shall directyour paths. (Prov. 3.5-6)

She explained that this verse has 3 commands and a promise.

The three commands:

Trust in the Lord

Lean not on your own understanding

Acknowledge Him

To trust is to put your full weight on something. We can and should trust in Him.

When she explained what it means to “lean not on our own understanding,” she talked about her recent knee surgery and how exhausting it was to walk on crutches. Relying on ourselves is exhausting, too, and ultimately futile.

And finally, to acknowledge Him in all we do. Is God at the center of all we do? Do we consider how each action or decision will be seen by Him? Is our desire to please Him (2 Cor. 5.9), rather than ourselves or others? Do we acknowledge His omni-presence (Ps. 139.1-18)?

And the promise:

He shall direct your path

Life can be confusing. We face decisions everyday: in our homes, on our jobs, with our families. Isn’t it good to know that if we will trust in Him, lean not on our own understanding, and in all our ways acknowledge Him, the One who knows the future (Is. 46.10), will direct our paths! We have His assurance of guidance!

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“Bible in a Year” posts have been edited and updated from previous posts.

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14 thoughts on ““Assurance of Guidance” February 29”

Donna, those verses are my *life verses*. I am sure that God laid them upon my heart for a good reason, as I always try to figure things out on my own. Growing up I was known as “The Why Child.” Some questions are good, but others only reflect a desire to control our own lives. They can reflect a clinging to life, not a surrendering. Relying on God means giving up that compulsion to control, to always understand everything.

Yes, I sometimes think about the verse that says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29.29). But we always want to know “Why? Why me? Why now?” I heard someone answer those questions, “Why not you?” Hmmmm.

But like you said “some questions are good.” Perhaps your questions are part of what makes you such a good writer and observer of human nature! Blessings!

Hi Donna! It is nice to have you join us at The Loft. Our prompt for today is LISTEN, and while your post does not mention listening per se, we certainly have to listen for God’s voice if we are going to trust Him and lean on Him. what a great reminder you offer us of God’s goodness and grace. We have a new prompt each week at The Loft and I hope you will join us again.

Well said Donna! Even though Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of the first verses I memorized as a child, I had not applied it to my life until after the stroke! I am continually encouraged by the commands and promises in both verses. Thank you for this wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness. May God continue blessing you and yours in all your endeavors. Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you for this, Donna. These verses were some of the first verses I memorized when I was a little girl. I taught them to my son when was learning to talk. It is hard to fully trust in the Lord some times, but the promises He gives when we do are amazing. Thank you sharing with Thankful Thursdays.

I'm a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, and Biblical counselor. I love sharing God's truth, hopefully in ways that will help you in your walk with God. I'm certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, but mostly I'm just a sister in Christ. To read more about me visit my "about me" page. My story may surprise you.